Chapter 82

After entering the room, Ye Chengxing pulled out her phone and skimmed through most of the messages on Star Net. She checked the date, then compared and converted the time flow rates between the two worlds.

The time in this world flowed much faster than in the one she came from.

Before arriving here, she had wrapped everything up, even though she hadn’t known she would end up in this world at the time. She had only wanted to get a little closer to that girl in her dreams.

All in all, the time she had left translated to an extraordinarily long stretch in this world.

With those thoughts settled, Ye Chengxing carefully examined every item in the room once more.

Everything in this room felt deeply familiar to her.

Some objects even triggered faint, fragmented images in her mind when she touched them. They weren’t entirely clear or coherent, but the sensation of those memories loosening up was undeniably real.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take much longer for her to remember everything.

Once she had looked around the room thoroughly enough, she decided to step out and explore the rest of the villa.

But when she opened the door, Ye Chengxing was surprised to find Li Jia right outside.

Did Li Jia have something to say to her?

Before she could dwell on it, she saw the other woman about to fall. Ye Chengxing pushed her thoughts aside and reached out to steady her.

The Omega’s body was trembling excessively.

Even with Ye Chengxing’s support, she seemed even less steady on her feet.

Li Jia bit her lip, the heat from her palm seeping through their clothes.

She had nearly lost control of the sound escaping her throat.

But in that instant when her waist was gripped, the persistent sense of something missing was suddenly filled.

She placed her hand over Ye Chengxing’s, her gaze drifting into delighted haze where the other woman couldn’t see.

Not hearing a response from Li Jia, Ye Chengxing called her name again.

It was then that she noticed some water stains on the floor that hadn’t been there before.

When had those appeared?

Had they been there before she entered the room?

Ye Chengxing tried to recall but couldn’t pinpoint it.

She hadn’t paid much attention to the floor earlier—her focus had been elsewhere—and now she drew a complete blank.

So, had Li Jia slipped on this water and nearly fallen? No, that didn’t add up; the direction of her stumble seemed all wrong for that.

Li Jia was still trembling a little, her eyes glistening with moisture.

As if snapping out of the sudden incident, she replied, “…I’m fine.”

To keep her from slipping again, Ye Chengxing half-supported Li Jia as she guided her inside.

Once Li Jia had steadied herself and seemed able to stand on her own, Ye Chengxing let go. “As long as you’re okay. I’ll clean up this water first.”

But as she rolled up her sleeves, Li Jia reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“No need. We have robots for that.”

After saying this, Li Jia seemed to realize her tone had been too curt and added, “…The robots will handle it.”

As if on cue, a robot soon arrived on the second floor.

Ye Chengxing glanced at Li Jia. Under the lights, the Omega’s face was flushed. Recalling the trembling body in her arms just moments ago, this scene struck her as oddly familiar, though she couldn’t place exactly why.

The sweet scent in the air seemed to grow even thicker at that moment.

She looked at Li Jia, paused, and asked, “Were you waiting outside my door because you wanted to talk to me?”

Li Jia averted her gaze slightly at the question. Her eyelashes fluttered as she feigned hesitation. “…I just wanted to peek in and leave. I didn’t expect to nearly trip while turning around, and then you opened the door.”

Ye Chengxing considered her words. It made sense, all things considered.

Li Jia clearly wasn’t thrilled about her staying elsewhere—choosing the room right next to hers among so many options—so a quick glance didn’t surprise her.

Still, something felt subtly off.

She studied Li Jia and noticed the red tint at the corners of her eyes, her lips thoroughly bitten and swollen. Not only did the situation feel wrong; Li Jia herself didn’t seem quite right.

Unable to resist, Ye Chengxing reached out and touched her cheek. “Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Her face did feel a bit hot.

Had she stood outside the villa too long earlier and caught a chill that was now turning into a fever?

That lonely silhouette Ye Chengxing had spotted lingered in her mind even now.

She didn’t know if it was just for today or a nightly ritual.

Even if the temperature would rise soon, the nights lately were still quite cold—colder still if there was wind.

A few days of that could easily lead to a fever or cold.

Feeling fingertips brush her cheek, Li Jia’s breath hitched.

Meeting Ye Chengxing’s worried eyes filled her with a mix of shame and tension for not wanting to be found out, alongside an inevitable thrill and excitement.

Her gaze uncontrollably drifted over the woman before her.

Her heart was pounding fiercely.

The Ye Chengxing in front of her was real.

She didn’t want to think about when she might leave again this time.

For now, she was here—truly, solidly here.

That realization made her entire body spin with dizziness.

The nagging sense of something missing had vanished, replaced by waves of sensation crashing through her without end.

After a pause, she looked at her, her voice turning frail. “I’m a bit dizzy and unsteady. My heart’s racing, my breathing’s off, and my body feels… hot all over. I really don’t feel well.”

She missed her so much. She had tried to push her away but failed.

And now, this wasn’t entirely untrue—it matched her real symptoms, just without the real cause.

Since she couldn’t push her away, maybe she could indulge just a little.

Just a little. She wanted her so badly…

Hearing this, Ye Chengxing worried that Li Jia might have caught a real chill leading to a fever. She had her sit on the bed first while she fetched a thermometer.

Having already surveyed the entire room earlier, Ye Chengxing recalled where the medicine cabinet was kept and found it with ease.

She grabbed the smart thermometer and tested it on herself a few times. Seeing it worked fine without issues, she headed back to take Li Jia’s temperature.

But the Omega hadn’t sat on the bed as suggested; she was still standing in place.

As Ye Chengxing took her temperature, she asked, “Why aren’t you sitting on the bed?”

Li Jia glanced up at her and shook her head. “I’ll pass on the bed.” Standing was safer; sitting would soak the sheets and make it too obvious.

The smart thermometer quickly displayed the result.

Ye Chengxing glanced at the number.

No fever, based on the reading.

But no fever didn’t mean all was well. Thinking of Li Jia’s words and her condition, Ye Chengxing still felt she was genuinely unwell.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before the words came out, Li Jia eyed the thermometer, smoothed her hair, and looked ready to leave the room. “No fever means nothing’s wrong. I’ll go shower and sleep…”

Ye Chengxing watched her. She seemed even worse off now, walking unsteadily.

She pressed her lips together. “Wait until tomorrow. Shower after you feel better.”

Going back to her room to bathe in this state worried her—what if something happened mid-shower?

At her words, Li Jia weakly shook her head to show she was truly fine and turned to leave.

After a second’s hesitation, Ye Chengxing stepped forward and caught her arm.

“If you really need to shower right now, use the bathroom in this room. It’s safer with someone nearby in case of an accident.”

Ye Chengxing rushed the words out in one breath.

Caught like that, Li Jia halted.

Hearing no reply, Ye Chengxing worried her suggestion sounded too forward, but she genuinely couldn’t relax.

With Li Jia’s back to her, she missed the slight curve of the Omega’s lips. Unobtrusively, Li Jia let the controller slip from her hand to the floor.

The door was still open; Ye Chengxing would spot it when she closed it.

She would surely pick it up and press it—after all, the controller had been designed exactly in the style Ye Chengxing liked best. She’d want to try it the moment she saw it.

Linking it to the robot would be ideal.

But that faint smile vanished by the time Li Jia turned around, her expression one of resigned acceptance: “Fine, the bathroom in this room it is.”

Ye Chengxing let out a relieved breath.

In hindsight, blurting that out had been bold, especially since they hadn’t seen each other in so long and her memories were still hazy—an uncertain situation all around.

Fortunately, Li Jia agreed. It was safer than letting her go alone.

Water sounds soon echoed from the bathroom. Ye Chengxing deliberately tuned them out, diverting her attention.

That’s when she realized the door was still ajar.

She got up to close it.

But right away, she spotted something new on the floor.

It was right where Li Jia had been standing.

Had Li Jia dropped it?

Ye Chengxing shut the door and picked up the small, delicate object. It felt like some kind of controller—compact, exquisitely made, with a premium texture.

The robot had already cleaned up and left.

She had checked when closing the door.

The water stains at the entrance were gone; the floor gleamed like new.

Impressively efficient.

Ye Chengxing thought as much.

She had a vague impression of the robots but not their controls.

Li Jia had only just mentioned them, and one had arrived promptly.

So, was this the robot controller?

It looked easy enough to press.

For once, curiosity got the better of Ye Chengxing, and she tapped it a few times. Nothing—no sounds, no robot returning.

Maybe she was pressing it wrong?

No robot came, but she heard a thud from the bathroom like someone stumbling, followed by faint, intermittent noises muffled under the running water.

Ye Chengxing froze, then hurried over. She knocked on the door and called Li Jia’s name.

As all sorts of grim possibilities raced through Ye Chengxing’s mind—wondering if something had truly gone wrong and whether she should slip inside to check—she heard Li Jia’s voice.

It sounded like Li Jia was gritting her teeth through some kind of torment, her breaths ragged and disordered.

“Um, I just lost my footing for a second… Now it feels like I can’t stand up…”